A sit-in in Sheffield in refusal to contract with the American “Palantir”.

Sheffield - Ofoq News - In response to the global call to condemn the American company Palantir and refuse to expand its activities in the health, military and security fields, many doctors, nurses, health workers and their supporters in Britain organized a sit-in outside the Royal Hallamshire Hospital in the city of Sheffield, to express their rejection of the contract to be concluded with the company, and to demand an end to the British National Health Service (NHS) relationship with it.

The Palestinian activist and head of the Solidarity Campaign with the Palestinian People in the city of Sheffield, Mushir Al-Farra, pointed out, during a speech he delivered at the sit-in, the concerns and criticisms related to the activities of the company “Palantir” and its military and security relations, including its cooperation with the Israeli army, and the controversy over the use of its technologies in military contexts, which, according to criticisms from human rights bodies and protesters, led to thousands of Palestinian civilian casualties, in addition to criticisms related to the use of the company’s technologies in the activities of the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

During the sit-in, the term “techno-fascism” (TECHNO-FASCISM), which was used by one of the participants from Denmark, emerged in the context of expressing fears of using advanced technology to monitor and control societies.

The participants affirmed their adherence to humanitarian and international principles, and rejected discrimination between people on the basis of religion, color, race or belief, stressing the need to subject the use of technology to human rights standards, transparency and accountability.

In a related context, Al-Farra expressed his regret at the absence of actual participation of Arab and Palestinian doctors in the city of Sheffield, despite the presence of large numbers of them, noting that participation in such events represents a form of practical solidarity with humanitarian and human rights issues.